INQUIRY LEARNING through CONCEPTS:

The How, the WHY, and the TEMPLATE for you

1. FREE TEMPLATE for you

to plan your units! Includes areas for assessment, TTE cards, resources etc.

NOW WRITEABLE!
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for Macs (Apple) computers in Microsoft Word format

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CLICK HERE to view all ILC RESOURCES AVAILABLE

FREE TIPS:  TELL ME MORE - what is it? How does it work?

Winning rave reviews from around the world! At last, a model which simply and clearly shows the PROCESS of inquiry, and also leaves ample room for teachers to adapt to their own class's needs and learning. A synthesis of the best thinking and learning models around today.

 TIP 1:

The many exciting developments in educational thinking recently, mean we are moving away from a knowledge-imparting curriculum to one involving students in the questioning and understandings. This doesn't mean we throw the old "topic units" out of the window - by no means - but we can meaningfully unpack them to allow for more opportunities to seize that teaching moment, to allow for differentiation, and opportunities to build on students' interests and individual understandings. As H Lynne Erickson says (2007, p 34), "Using topics and facts as a support rather than as a final destination, will truly lift academic and teaching standards." These units are based on the idea of inquiry learning through CONCEPTS.

By using a concept in the ILC model to focus a lens on a topic, we open the doors to a wealth of thinking and exploring for our students. By combining tried-and-tested theories such as:

• Understanding By Design (Wiggins& McTighe, 2005)
• Inquiry Learning
• Renzulli's School-wide Enrichment model
• CPS (Osborne-Parnes problem-solving model for Creative Problem-solving)
• Differentiation
• Gagne's 'Events of instruction' model
• SOLO taxonomy by Biggs and Collins

and also using thinking models and strategies such as Bloom's, Sternberg's Triarchic theory, multiple intelligences, learning styles, and more - we hope we bring you a workable and enjoyable framework for your teaching.

The ILC model and units are written by teachers and educators, for teachers, and are intended to have the hard work already done for you in the planning process.
Each unit is also open to individual tweakings and adjustments by you to accommodate your students' needs. All the hard work done for you - each book provides you with the planning framework, a recommended video link or book as an introductory hook, a set of photocopiable cards to promote sharing of Prior Knowledge...assessments.. even a list of suggested resources!

TIP 2: What's this about BINARY OPPOSITES?

Binary Opposites play a major role in concept-based inquiry (Egan, 1990) and in the ILC model. A binary opposite means two objects or ideas that together form a whole - like a binary system in space, where two stars revolve around each other as one system.
Binary opposites are theoretical opposites in philosophical language, and are more than simply 'opposites' - they come laden with our own cultural values. To a young child then, 'hot' and 'cold' are simply opposites - two different examples of things we can feel. But to an adult, 'hot' and 'cold' convey a wealth of ideas and concepts - from negativity to positivity, from interest to disinterest, from topical to outmoded� Interestingly, one binary opposite usually has dominance over the other. So one is usually viewed by a culture as the 'positive' or desirable one, and the other is the less desirable.

For teachers, you can easily tell if you are teaching simply a topic: if you can't come up with various sets of binary opposites, then it's not a concept! Struggling to find binary opposites for 'Our Town'? Ah - that's because underpinning that topic, are the concepts and binary opposites such as:
- the environment (binary opposites such as pollution: biodegradable; natural: made by humans.)
- interactions (binary opposites such as predator: prey, provider: receiver; supporter: supported; constructive: destructive)

By combining several outstanding models and strategies, we hope to both lighten the teacher's load and to help you to offer worthwhile learning experiences to your students. We hope you and your students enjoy!

Jean Edwards, Janice Gulbransen, Teressa Hosie

TIP 3: WHAT IS INQUIRY LEARNING in GENERAL?

Inquiry learning is based on the constructivist idea of learning, where the teacher is the 'guide on the side' rather than the 'sage on the stage'. Children are encouraged to learn information about a concept or topic (immersion stage), and then, with guidance, to formulate rich questions to pursue related to the topic. Inquiry learning means that the students discover knowledge through following their own questions. Learning is often in a co-operative, group-based situation. Progress is often assessed by how well students have developed critical, analytical and experimental skills, rather than knowledge of facts.

TIP 4: INQUIRY LEARNING and CONSTRUCTIVIST LEARNING

What's the difference? Not much. Very simply put, constructivism is the theoretical approach to a hands-on, student-driven curriculum; and nquiry Learning is the pedagogical application of that theory. "The Guide on the Side, not the Sage on the Stage" is a well-known adage for the teacher's role here.

TIP 5: HOW DO I USE INQUIRY LEARNING?

In some original Inquiry Learning models, the students selected the topic, the problem to be studied, and the methods used to answer the problem. However, it is important to remember that students need to be scaffolded in their learning; research has proved that students do NOT learn inquiry methods simply by inquiring or problem-solving. The teacher obviously needs to provide the 'umbrella' under which the students determine their individual course, and the teacher needs to build the steps for learning thinking skills and strategies - as demonstrated clearly in Renzulli's model above.

Most students will reach Type 2 activities, working on a teacher-guided inquiry situation; some will progress on to Type 3, where they continue their study into an open-ended, real-life inquiry.

Research has shown that students learn best if the teacher first models problem situations. Active problem-solving early in the process is not as effective as first allowing students to study worked examples, such as step-by-step demonstration of how to perform a task or how to solve a problem. So rather than plunging your students in the deep end and expecting them to learn problem-solving and inquiry-based learning by osmosis, you need to start small, and teach students the specific skills and strategies necessary. Using a topic or concept that students are already familiar with, avoids the necessity for students to simultaneously have to grapple with acquiring huge amounts of knowledge.

TIP 6: WHICH MODEL TO USE?

There are various inquiry models . We strongly recommend models which start with teachers formulating the BIG UNDERSTANDING or the BIG IDEAS underpinning the unit. This also forms the vital ASSESSMENT part of the unit, as students will need to demonstrate their understanding of the BIG IDEA(S) at the end of the unit.

An important part of the ILC method is the Thinking, Talking Exploring cards (TTE cards) which are provided with each book. These are used by students, in discussion groups of 2 or 3, to ASSESS PRIOR KNOWLEDGE, as well as to introduce the students to a community of inquiry. This is the all-important part where students start to formulate their own questions for inquiry!

We recommend also, models which have an underpinning KNOWLEDGE stage, or immersion stage, next. This is where students are exposed to movies, books, visitors, websites etc where they learn information about the topic. ONLY THEN can students generate meaningful rich questions for the next step. As an illustration of this, imagine if you encourage the students to formulate questions as their FIRST step in the process (as some Inquiry models do). Let's try that one with you yourself right now: okay, "The topic we're looking at is stem-cell therapy. What are your deep questions??"...... Enough said...

We based the ILC model on Joseph Renzulli's model, which is is used around the world: note too how the three stages interweave dynamically:

All students will first work through Stage 1, where they are immersed in a rich knowledge-gathering experience, and then move on to Stage 2, where they are scaffolded through learning skills as well as forming their own questions. Some students (often the gifted) will progress on to stage 3, where they will pursue independent inquiry into a real- life problem or situation of their choosing. Note too, that Renzulli shows the three stages as interacting dynamically - that is, students can pass through the three stages at varying times.

Check out some ready-to-go units here at the Centre for Inquiry-Based Learning

INQUIRY LEARNING THROUGH CONCEPTS resources
Already in use in New Zealand, the USA, Australia, and the UK.All the 'hard bits' ready for you to personalise for your class! Each book contains a CONCEPT, the BIG IDEAS plus a list of the Essential Questions for that concept; Recommended resources for starting "hooks" for students; other resources recommended where appropriate.Also includes assessment tools, and the acclaimed Thinking, Talking, Exploring cards to determine that precious prior knowledge!
Sample concepts addressed:
Communication (verbal vs non-verbal)
Endangered Species (Survival vs Extinction)
Cultural Identity (Icon vs symbol)
Poetry (Structured vs Prose)
Rights & Responsibilities
Disasters (natural vs created)
Myths and Legends (Retelling Traditional explanations vs Creating New; Adapting to our world
Shelter (necessity vs luxury)
Religion

CLICK HERE to view ILC RESOURCES AVAILABLE

TIP 7: OTHER Inquiry models:

Big Six

Developed by educators Mike Eisenberg and Bob Berkowitz, the Big6 is one of the most widely-known and widely-used approach to teaching information and technology skills in the world.MORE INFO: http://www.big6.com/

Eisenberg and Berkowitz's (2004) "Big6" and "Super3"" ( a modified Big6 for juniors)

Jamie McKenzie's (2000)"Research Cycle"

(http://www.fno.org/dec99/rcycle.html)

Gwen Gawith's Action Learning (1988)

1. decide
2. search & finding
3. using & analysing
4. recording
5. presenting & communicating
6. evaluating

Gwen Gawith's 3 Doors to InfoLiteracy

Biggs' SOLO Taxonomy

(Structure of Observed Outcomes). SOLO describes 5 levels of increasing complexity in student understanding - not simply knowledge. Thus it incorporates ideas from UBD (Understanding By Design) and Bloom's Taxonomy, and the framweork is a really useful one, even though the language used for the differrent stages or levels may be a little precious:

1. pre-structural
2. unistructural
3. multistructural
4. relational
5. extended abstract

James Atherton gives an excellent overview HERE, with illustrations to clearly explain the concept. Biggs' SOLO was used as one of the key ideas in ThinkShop's INQUIRY LEARNING through CONCEPTS (ILC) method.

Trevor Bond's (2001) 'SAUCE' model

Do be aware that some of the models above may well not be suited to your school's individual needs; and some actually become unwieldy because of their rigidity or complexity. Do check them out thoughtfully, and adapt, adapt, adapt!

EXAMPLES of SCHOOLS WHICH ADAPT!

Schools are adapting Inquiry Learning models to suit their particular needs. Here are a few worth checking out:

Wanganui ICT PD Cluster (New Zealand) A whole set of tools on Inquiry Learning here too!

Southbridge School Inquiry Learning model (New Zealand)

University of Alberta (Canada) inquiry learning model

Enner Glynn School, (New Zealand)

Arthur Street School, (Dunedin, New Zealand)

TIP 8: WHAT CAN YOU DO?

• Use school PD time (e.g. a one-day minimum) for staff to RESEARCH various Inquiry Learning models (this can be done in small groups or in syndicates); then present findings to staff. Next step is for staff to analyse the models, to synthesise a model unique to their own school needs. Adapt, adapt, adapt! By the end of the day, staff can even have a unit fleshed out, using their own Inquiry Model. Fantastic!

• Have a look at the Renzulli Learning Programme. Online learning based on inquiry learning, as well as differentiated learning. Highly recommended!


• Contact THINKSHOP for info on a workshop with Jean Edwards on Inquiry Learning (ILC), HOM, and Questioning.

TESTIMONIALSfor ILC

from teachers in New Zealand, Australia, the UK, USA... about the ILC model:

Cheers
Gael Donaghy (Leadership & Management Advisor, Secondary Schools)

I think your new resource is fantastic and would like to order a copy.
It so reinforces differentiated leaning and will be a very practical and useful resource for teachers to accomplish this. I also like the way it uses Jay McTighe's idea of Backward design where you focus on the big idea you want to have the students understand by the end of the unit.
Liz A

The unit on Endangered Species looks good. I particularly like the way you begin with a mega concept in mind and relate this to questions the students can ask or can solve later in their study and apply to their world.
Although the outcomes themselves and some of the organisational frameworks are not used in WA schools, the unit could easily be adapted to suit our local curriculum requirements.
As I was reading through the unit I was thinking, "I hope they have resources at the end to make this easier for the teacher" and hey presto, the web resources were at the end of the unit to make life easier for the teacher.
I congratulate you on an excellent initiative to produce integrated problem based units for students and I would look forward to seeing more units being developed. I would suggest other units of global warming, terrorism, privacy and ICT, environmental sustainability, global community, careers just to name a few.
MF, WA

I think this resource is excellent, just what I would use as is suited to the GATE children, shows transfer and includes where it all fits into curriculum. I have spent hours in the past doing my own planning and finding suitable links online, this type of resource means it's all there for me and I can use my time enjoying the learning with the kids! It's managable over a realistic timeframe, has lots of great ideas but is also flexible enough for us to add to it and move off on tangents as these children like to do.

Even though I am not a classroom teacher ... I really like this enquiry learning approach for homeschooling purposes. My son is very bright and needs challenges. So a unit likes this really suits us as it throws up issues that don't necessarily have a right answer. I particularly like the TTE cards, the website links and the ideas for activities which I can use myself.

Dear Jean
Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou- that was so generous of you (to give us the free template for ILC)!
I have just printed the template off and came across the graphic thinker-OPV. It is just perfect for what I have been trying to teach my stage 1 students. On the weekend, I couldn't think how to arrange it and then yours turns up! You have saved me so much time (and thinking).
Cheers
Lydia R, AUSTRALIA

WHAT IS INQUIRY LEARNING in general?